The Big Island will host two nationally recognized leaders in educationalreform who will headline a special conference next month for K-12 teachersand administrators including charter schools. The conference, entitled "NewVisions - Assessment in the K-12 Community," will be held on Saturday,May 19, 2001 at Keaʻau High School from 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Mary Anne Raywid is a Professor Emirate of Administration and PolicyStudies at Hofstra University and former director of the Center for theStudy of Educational Alternatives. She has written extensively about schoolreform in addition to conducting and reporting research on small schools.In Hawaiʻi, Dr. Raywid is a consultant to the Department of Education inthe creation of schools within schools and has taken and active role inthe creation of Hawaiʻi Charter Schools.

Other conference activities will include presentations by the studentsand faculty of the Hawaiʻi Center for Learning Science Through Art, workshopsby national and local experts, and showings of the PBS documentary film"Charter Schools that Work."

The conference is being sponsored by the University of Hawaiʻi CharterSchool Resource Center, the Hawaiʻi Center for Learning Science ThroughArt, 'Ike A'o, Keaʻau High School and the University of Hawaiʻi at HiloEducation Department.

The fee for the conference is $15, and includes lunch along with admissionto all sessions. Registration forms may be obtained at http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~charter.For more information, contact Nina Buchanan at (808) 974-7583. Those whorequire special accommodations may call (808) 933-0816 (V) or (808) 974-7335(TTY). Requests for special accommodations should be made at least ten businessdays prior to the event.